Page 74 of The Earl’s Hoyden

She moaned as pleasure coursed through her in a way that eased and encouraged her lust at the same time.

His fingers moved behind her, unbuttoning the row of small buttons down her back. It must have been a maddening process, but he never grew irritated. Instead, for every button he popped free, he paused to caress the newly exposed skin with his fingertip, savoring the undressing of her.

At that moment, she knew she wanted to fully disrobe for him, for him to lovingly stroke every part of her in such a reverent manner. And she wanted the same of him. As luxurious as it was to experience their hands on one another’s skin, she could only imagine the touch of their naked bodies, hot and delightfully sensitive together.

The bodice of her gown widened and slid from Hannah’s shoulders before pooling in a stiff pile on the ground. She stepped from it even as he reached for the bow at her chemise. Her nipples thrust out from the shapeless garment, hard-tipped and rosy-pink beneath the thin fabric.

He groaned and bent over her, drawing one bud into his mouth through the thin cloth, the heat of his tongue flicking against it.

If he were a true lover, he would lick her like a treat.

Hannah cried out and cradled his head to her bosom, understanding now what the pamphlet meant. At some point, he managed to lift away her chemise, though, for the life of her, she could not recall precisely when that had happened. Somewhere between the time he cupped her other breast and loved it with his mouth, the fabric miraculously slipped away.

Whatever strength once held up her legs seemed to dissolve, and she felt herself leaning heavily on him. But he did not falter, his body as strong as a block of stone.

It was then his fingers trailed lower on her body, from the dip of her navel to tease over the thatch of fiery hair between her thighs. He swept his delicious touch between her thighs, and that familiar pleasure from the Vauxhall fireworks jolted through her. The strength of her knees bled away, and she nearly sagged against him.

“You’re so wet, Hannah.” He secured her against his strong body. “God, I want you so desperately.”

“Take me,” she whispered. “Slake this fever you set in me.”

Lifting her into his arms once more, he carried her to the great bed where he lay her upon the plush blanket, impossibly soft beneath her skin. His gaze lingered on her, taking her in as his fingers worked down the buttons of his waistcoat before shrugging it off. Next came the cravat he unwound from his neck, tied in a Mail Coach Knot, she noticed with a smile. The same as it had been since she’d made the suggestion.

He drew up the hem of his shirt, revealing a rigid band of abdominal muscles that flexed as the fabric slowly unveiled the rest of his powerful torso. Hannah’s mouth went dry.

The only bare chest Hannah had ever seen in her life was that of the stablehand with Lady Alison, and he looked nowhere near as…chiseled as Lucien. He met her gawking stare with a shy smile.

She sat up and reached for him, bringing him toward her, eager to feel the firmness of his hard body against the softness of hers. The sprinkle of hairs at his strong chest rasped against her nipples as he pressed against her, capturing her lips once more.

Now. She wanted him now. Her body writhed beneath him as she parted her thighs to cradle the weight of his body. The silky, hot length of his cock rested over her entrance, and she ground against him in anticipation.

But he did not push into her as the pamphlet said he would. Instead, he kissed her one final time before crawling off her. He did not remove his breeches. Instead, he knelt at the end of the bed where her legs were still slightly parted. His fingers grazed her knees, her thighs, the tender area just before the cleft between her thighs.

A whimper of longing escaped her, eager for the play of his dexterous fingers over her most intimate area.

He leaned over her, his face nearing the cleft between her legs and, watching her, he ran his tongue along the seam of her sex. Pleasure shot through her, stunning her for a moment. Her body acted on instinct and she gripped the blanket as he licked at her once more.

If he were a true lover, he would lick her like a treat.

Heavens! That was what the pamphlet meant.

The sensation was incomparable to anything she had ever experienced, even the stroke of his fingers there. Her entire self prickled with overly heightened nerves, her nipples taut, her breath coming in gasps though she simply lay there, her legs trembling as they strained open against his ministrations.

Something nudged at her center while his tongue wrought the most thrilling delight. She glanced at him as he gently inserted his finger into her entrance, and she moaned, loud and shameless.

“I want you,” she said in a breathy plea. “Please.”

“Not yet,” he murmured as he continued to love her with his mouth and hand.

A tingling sensation wound through her, and a familiar tightness wound through her core. Lucien must have noticed the change in her as well, for his tongue flicked faster, his finger plunging as he tilted her over the edge of the decadent precipice.

Pleasure exploded through her, like the fireworks of Vauxhall Gardens all over again. She cried out, more of a scream if she were being honest, and she didn’t care. Only the pleasure mattered.

Her body trembled with the power of what had wracked through her, and yet that need for Lucien was even more insistent now. One she didn’t entirely understand despite her talk with her mother and with Lucy, but one she knew she could not deny.

Lucien stood once more, his gaze bright with desire beneath his shaggy blond hair. His hands went to his breeches and unbuttoned the fall. Brazenly, Hannah let her stare slide down his carved torso to his cock jutting from his body, hard as her mother had said they became.

Hannah swallowed.